1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ink jet printing, and, more particularly, to an ink jetting assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
A traditional ink writing instrument, such as a ball-point ink pen, includes a tubular structure containing a supply of ink in fluid communication with a roller-ball writing tip. More recently, a writing instrument has been developed that includes a liquid ink reservoir for containing liquid ink, and a spray head for spraying the liquid ink. In operation, a detector mechanism sends a signal to a processor unit to activate spraying of the liquid ink.
Traditional ink jet cartridge design and manufacturing processes do not adequately facilitate features that are consistent with a small and compact design, so as to accommodate, for example, a writing instrument application. For example, typical ink jet cartridge designs require internal and external walls around the heater chip in order to hold the thermally cured adhesive that is used for sealing the heater chip to the cartridge body, and require an external folded flexible circuit for electrical interconnection between the heater chip and the driving electronics. Accordingly, current ink jet cartridge design and manufacturing technology would yield a printhead size that is larger than would be expected by and/or acceptable to a typical user for use in a writing instrument.